New Civil Engineer
Thomas Johnson
15 May 2025
There is “no evidence” that the government strategy to cut carbon emissions in the aviation sector is working, with last year being the most pollutive on record, stakeholders have told the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).
The comments were made in an oral evidence session for the EAC’s inquiry into whether government’s push for airport expansions is compatible with the country’s legally binding net zero and environment targets.
The EAC has previously argued that emissions from the aviation sector are considered one of the hardest to abate. In its 2023 report Net zero and the UK aviation sector, the committee stated emissions from civil aviation represented 8% of the UK’s emissions in 2019, and 7% in 2022.
Evidence provided at the EAC session on 14 May detailed how even though 2019 was meant to be the aviation industry’s peak for emissions, 2024 was actually worse.
